It was a pleasant surprise & I was honoured to receive the invitation from Miss Sharifah, a Marketing Communications Executive with the hotel. It was rather unfortunate that I am unable to meet her in person as she had another appointment on the evening that I was available for the review, but I was warmly welcomed by her colleague, Jihan, instead. We had a great evening of getting-to-know-you as well as a lovely night to experience the array of food that the Tonka Bean Cafe has to offer.

I had a choice of reviewing one of the many buffets that Tonka Bean Cafe offers:

Guilty Pleasures Dinner Buffet (Mondays to Thursdays)

Southern Barbecue Dinner Buffet: Surf's Up (Fridays & Saturdays)

Carvery Dinner Buffet (Sundays only)

Weekend High Tea with Baskin's (Saturdays & Sundays)

After looking through what each buffet offers & checking my personal schedule, I decided on the the Southern BBQ Buffet, only available on Fridays & Saturdays for RM78++/pax. The price sounds slightly high, but if you actually get to sink your teeth into the barbecued ribs, lamb, beef, seafood, & meats of sorts, you'll find that it's worth paying the price for what you're offered!

The above were portions of conversations at Impiana KLCC on the week where I was to drop by for the review (as told by Jihan to me when she hosted us). Apparently, the kitchen staffs at Tonka Bean Cafe, plus some of the hotel staff who got to know that PerutBesi is visiting got over-excited, & were all wondering who this blogger is & how he/she looks like. Hahaha...oh boy, weren't they surprised to see a medium-sized girl as PerutBesi...they were expecting some big-sized person!

*****

The hotel's customer-service was impressive. Since Impiana KLCC's basement car park is closed for renovations, we were requested to park at the KL Convention Centre's basement car park instead, where a Proton Exora will pick all hotel guests to the hotel from the basement itself. I was accompanied by Aaron that evening, so Aaron had a nice time chit-chatting with the driver & the hotel staff all through the whole evening.

Upon arrival at the Tonka Bean Cafe, we were escorted to the table reserved for us, & Jihan, a Marketing Communications Executive at Impiana KLCC Hotel was our lovely host for the evening. She is a very friendly and fun person to have with us, & it was our pleasure to have her showing us around the cafe. We also spent an hour plus talking with the Head of Tonka Bean Cafe, Tawfeeq Steven Seow, an Executive Chef with Impiana KLCC Hotel, on the food served at Tonka Bean, as well as to listen to his sharing on his work experiences. It was loads of information & packed with excitement! :D

Interior of Tonka Bean CafeI was at Impiana a few months ago, but I've never stepped foot into the Tonka Bean Cafe. The interior is quite amazing, though the lighting is certainly challenging for a foodie who owns a compact camera...hahaha...

The Southern BBQ Buffet offers more than just the barbecued meat. It also offers the usual variety of cooked dishes, rice, cakes, salads, fruits, and fresh/cold meat. One is really spoiled for choice!

Chocolate Fountain/FondueI was quite fascinated with the arrangement of the fruits & snacks for the chocolate fondue. So far, this is the only hotel where I noticed its sticks of fruits are not stacked in a bowl, but are stuck into designated holes on a tile-mat that resembles a chess board. Nice :)

Rainbow of Desserts

There were at least 15-20 types of cakes, pies, tarts, & desserts of all sorts at the buffet dinner spread. If you're sweet-tooth diabetic or a dessert-lover, you'll really have to refrain yourself from entering this section of the buffet, else you'll end up over-indulging on the sweet assortment! The cakes that I've tried were slightly too sweet for my liking (I've quite low tolerance towards sweet food) & they were slightly dry as well, but taste-wise, it's still alright :)

I just love the design & arrangement...looks "classy"...

Fresh Cold Seafood

When I say it's "fresh", I really mean it's fresh! Tonka Bean Cafe is doing a good job in ensuring the freshness of its food :) *thumbs up* Oh ya, the cold, young coconuts were REALLY refreshing! Bottomless, baby! I practically balanced my sizzling hot barbecue dinner with the cool coconut drink! *slurp*

Tonka Bean Cafe's Southern BBQ Buffet is special in its ways. For one, the BBQ is the authentic charcoal fire barbecue! I was wondering how the hotel will serve their barbecued meat. All along, I thought that the meat will just be barbecued & served in those large trays in the cafe itself, but oh, Tonka Bean Cafe gave me a pleasant surprise! The BBQ is outside - "open air" BBQ just like how you'll have it at your house!

I was also wondering why "Southern BBQ". Chef Tawfeeq then shared that out of the many types of BBQs (e.g. Korean BBQ, Malay-kampung-style BBQ, Chinese BBQ...etc), the Southern US BBQ is rarely found here, & it's the hotel's initiative to offer a different type of barbecue to Malaysia!

It's certainly "hot" out there near the grills, with the noisy cars, bikes, & trucks passing by (during peak hours only...apart from such hours, that road is relatively quiet), but if you want some REAL barbecue, you'll get it at Tonka Bean Cafe, no doubts!

Barbecue Chef for the night

This was the chef who barbecued the meat to perfection for us. There were some pre-barbecued/grilled meat as well as fresh meat of your choice, ready to be barbecued.

Fresh Meat/Seafood ready to sizzle-wizzle on the grill

I found it rather strange that the meat were "fresh" & "un-marinated". But I was told by Chef Tawfeeq that the meat were all not marinated because they were all cut into thinner slices. Having them marinated for a several hours will cause the flavour of the meat to be over-powered by seasoning & spices, thus spoiling the natural taste of the meat. Unless the meat is cut into thick slices like steaks, then the meat will have to be marinated before cooking. Interesting! I never knew that. Chinese just love marinating their meat for hours/a day to ensure that the meat (thin-cuts or thick-cuts) are soaked with flavour!

Awesome Mussels!

I had so many of those mussels...it was just awesome! Simple, fragrant, fresh - yums! The BBQ-ed lamb with BBQ sauce (no mint sauce for that night...boohoo) were lovely too :)

Ribs (Beef) is a MUST HAVE!

For RM78++, if you manage to get those juicy BBQ-ed ribs (even though the ribs weren't marinated prior to landing on the grill, the ribs were "wow"! The chef seasoned the meat when he grilled them! *salutes*), oh, you'll really find your dinner a truly enjoyable one...yes, yes, more mussels for me! By the way, the grilled chicken (kebab pieces) we slightly dry & I didn't really like it. The lamb & beef is a must try though....

Back in the cafe...

Jihan insisted that I try out the Caesar Salad at Tonka Bean Cafe. She said that it's "the best" Caesar Salad that I'll ever get (in comparison to other hotels). She's not a fan of greens, but after trying the salad from Tonka Bean's salad bar, she find herself indulging into the healthy dish without second thoughts.

I like the Mixing Bowl!

It's not some wooden bowl, nor is it stone/porcelain. It's some heavy, 'wax-like' dish that gives you the added fun in mixing your own Caesar Salad ;) The cafe offered a good variety of fresh vegetables, condiments (e.g. raisins, pine nuts, sunflower seeds, croûton, olives, ...etc), and 2 common types of dressing for the night - Thousand Island & Mayonnaise. I wish they had more salad dressings!

My Caesar Salad - Time to Toss!

PerutBesi's Own-Tossed Caesar Salad

Not too bad...Aaron said I picked a good mix of the veggie & condiments, plus the dressing went well with the salad ;)

(photo taken with flash...so sad the lighting wasn't good for photography)

There were many unique cooked dishes as well. One of our favourites was the Baked Prawns. The other dish, where I didn't manage to take a photo of was the Beef with Star Fruit in Coconut Milk. That dish was really interesting! Instead of using the usual asam skin/vinegar/pineapples (or whatever else that will give a dish some sourish taste), Tonka Bean Cafe used the small star fruits (called "Belimbing Buluh" or "Belimbing Asam" in Malay) to give the "gulai" (type of stew) dish a twist/unique taste. We loved it!

Baked Prawns

You won't expect it, but you'll actually find BAKED CHEESE in this pot alongside the prawns! Oh, wonderful...I thought baked prawns will come as a dry dish, but hey, this baked prawns with gravy tastes delicious!

Wok-Stirred Vegetables

Tonka Bean Cafe has a small section for wok-stirred vegetables as well. I had some stir-fried veggie + mushrooms, but I felt that it was too salty! The chef who cooked my veggie didn't manage to adjust the seasoning proportionately :( Much room for improvement...

My Stir-Fried Leek, "Tau Miu", & Fresh Black Mushrooms

Boccocini Mix

I never knew what Boccocini is 'til Chef Tawfeeq gave us an interesting lesson on this type of CHEESE! Yes, it's actually PREMIUM Mozzarella cheese that comes in ping-pong ball size! Boccocini is simply "not so matured" Mozzarella cheese that is slightly chewy, spongy, & very mild in cheese smell (so mild that I didn't know it's cheese 'til I was told!). We were even told that Boccocini is VERY expensive and is usually only enjoyed by Westerners who are more willing to spend on such cheese as their snack! *fuh* This dish was just slightly cooked with olive oil & some herbs :) We loved Boccocini!!!

Pizza & Pasta

Tonka Bean's pizza & pasta weren't too bad as well. I prefer their pasta to the pizza...it's not excellent, but good enough to pass.

Last, but not least, to end the night, Tonka Bean Cafe assures that you'll end it nice & sweet with their pride & joy - Baskin Robbin's Ice Cream! Now, which restaurant offers you BR ice cream...or even proper ice cream??

Baskin Robbin's Ice Cream with Assorted Toppings

We spent SO much time on the BBQ & main dishes, plus LOADS of time chit-chatting with Chef Tawfeeq & Jihan 'til we didn't have much time for dessert! :'( By the time we started on the ice-cream, it was 10.30p.m. already! The cafe was supposed to close at 10:30p.m. & there we were still talking & eating through the night...hahaha...

It was just such a lovely evening - one that was absolutely worth spending. I'm very thankful to Impiana KLCC Hotel & the Tonka Bean Cafe for the warm hospitality & the scrumptious Southern BBQ Buffet. It was one evening that I felt like some VIP at the hotel...hahaha...especially when the front desk staff found out that I was there for a food review - they were somehow extra "cautious". They even rushed the driver, & paced up & down to ensure that I got attended to *in awe* I'm in disbelieve...hey, I'm just a blogger....hahaha...

To all my dear readers, save up some cash (if you don't have any spare for the moment) & splurge on this one buffet where you'll find yourself enjoying the juicy ribs & extensive variety of cooked food, desserts, & not to be missed - the free-flow of Baskin Robbins ice cream!

Note: The review below is written based on my personal preference and liking. You may or may not enjoy the same dishes as I do, but the review will just present my humble opinion of the food that I sampled.

"Non traditional flavours from Mexico to exotic Middle East as well as traditional flavours that the unadventurous will find scrumptious. "

It was a sumptuous and scrumptious dinner that I felt too “over-weighted” to walk back to the car after the 9++ course meal! Yesh, more than 9 dishes were served for the 2+hours at CPK! *rolls around with a full stomach & a wide smile*

The purpose of the event was to sample (or more like EAT in the normal portions!) CPK’s latest dishes on its menu. Interesting, I would say. The variety on CPK’s menu is growing by the year & I can’t deny that I am rather impressed at CPK’s creativity in introducing new dishes twice a year. Most of the dishes are from the US itself, but CPK’s fusion of dishes is of no doubts warmly welcomed by Malaysians/Asians :)

Let the “party” begin!

(Note: Bear with the photo quality. Lighting that night wasn't very bright, thus for a food blogger with a compact camera, quality of photos have to be compromised)

The lavish dinner began with the Moroccan Chicken Salad, a harmonious symphony of taste, colours, & texture. Of the many salads that I have tried at CPK, this, in my opinion is the best! You will find a mixture of romaine leaves, roasted butternuts, fresh beetroots, fresh carrots, fresh avocados, red bell pepper, chopped eggs, dried cranberries, toasted almonds, and of course the slices of grilled Moroccan chicken breasts meat – all in bite-size, easily picked up with your fork. The salad dressing (Honey-Dijon vinaigrette) gave the salad a fresh touch, an added value to the fresh garden greens ;)

Next on the menu was my favourite for the night – the Sonora Egg Rolls! I seriously fell in love with this snack and I reckon I could just pop by CPK and order this as a meal! I enjoyed the crispy skin-wrap, the flavourful chicken with fragrant cheese, and the "creaminess" of the egg all mixed up with the peppers, olives, kidney beans, tomatoes, (I really believe these items were in there, but it's not stated on the menu! Hahaha...oh well...) and ... For those who are lactose-intolerant, if you can take a little “cooked” cheese, this shouldn’t upset your stomach since the amount of cheese isn’t overwhelming.

The Pesto Cream Penne with Chicken & Prawns was up next. I enjoy pesto & am a pasta-crazy person, so I was really delighted to dig in to this pasta dish. The penne was al-dante, but I actually prefer it to be slightly softer than how it was served that night. The pesto cream sauce was just lovely. It wasn’t too heavy/”jelak” as the dish was accompanied by sun-dried tomatoes, which reduces the heaviness of the creamy-feel with its sour-ish taste. All of us couldn’t help but commend that the prawns at CPK were really fresh & “crisp”. It is something that I would love to learn & put to practice when I’m in the kitchen...how can I marinate the prawns to make it “crunchy” & fresh? By adding sugar?

If you prefer pizza to pasta, CPK actually has the similar variant of the Cream Pesto Penne on thin crust pizza! *salutes* I felt that my pizza looked too green *lol*, but the idea is certainly interesting. I have never really had pizzas of such innovation anywhere else except at CPK. If you’re adventurous, CPK’s pizzas may just keep you happy through your meal and your day :) CPK’s thin crust pizza MUST be eaten fresh and hot so that you will get to enjoy the fullness of the pizza. I actually liked the thin crust since it felt very light like munching on biscuits with toppings!

Up next was an extremely interesting pizza – the Cheeseburger Pizza. I couldn’t imagine how it would look and taste like. Burgers and pizzas just didn’t have any connecting dots to each other in my mind! When the pizza arrived, I can’t help but wonder why is there so much of lettuce on my pizza??! There were large slices of avocados too...*gulp* My first impression of this pizza – weird. When I finally sunk my teeth into the slice of pizza, I had an instant “light bulb moment”. “Flattened BIGMAC!” What cheeseburger...? There were certainly ground beef, onions, lettuce, mozzarella, & American cheese all on this Cheeseburger Pizza. Power! This was one “BigMac” where you don’t need to open your mouth wide to get a proper bite of everything on the burger. Amazing. The fresh chunks of avocados looked strange on the pizza, but complimented the pizza perfectly :)

Cheeseburger Pizza (RM38.00/pizza)

The final pizza for that night was the Meat Cravers. It’s certainly a guy’s/meat-lovers’ pizza. I felt that it’s just too meaty & cheesy for me! Hahaha...sweet italian sausage, pepperoni, turkey, bacon, spicy salami and julienne salami + LOADS of low-fat mozzarella cheese – I can’t help but think that Aaron & Rao will fancy this pizza :P

Meat Cravers Pizza (RM38.00/pizza)

Behold... the yummilicious & vibrant colours on the table...

We ended the dinner of main dishes with the Ginger Salmon. I was pleasantly surprised at the delectable salmon that didn’t have the ‘fishy’ smell, and the wok-stirred vegetables, which were done right (not over-cooked, nor was it too salty). This dish is a thumbs up for PerutBesi :)

Those mentioned above were our main dishes. The night wouldn’t have completed perfectly without CPK’s mouth-watering desserts. I am not very much a dessert-person since I don’t fancy sweet items. More often than not, I’ll be ordering drinks or food with “less sugar” or “kurang manis”.

Key Lime Pie

Nevertheless, I have to say that CPK’s Tiramisu is thus far my favourite, if only it was less sweet. Since the 1st time I had it (click here for the previous review), I just can’t forget the rum-soaked sponge cake of the Tiramisu. The (Belgian) Chocolate Souffle served warm with a scoop of cold vanilla ice-cream is also a sinfully delectable dessert, worthy to be enjoyed.

Their Key Lime Pie is also something very unique. I haven’t had anything like that & CPK is thus far the only restaurant in Malaysia that serves Key Lime Pie. The pie is sourish, sweetish, & tastes “cheesy” (just that it uses custard instead of cheese), a very appetizing dessert to conclude your meal.

Finding a Japanese restaurant in PJ that serves good food at reasonable prices ain't all that easy; I could at least speak for myself. Aaron & I were searching for a good-enough & nearby Japanese restaurant when we ended up at Ichiban Boshi (thanks to the review by Cumi & Ciki).

Ichiban Boshi is located at the relatively new "shopping mall", Sunway Giza Mall @ Kota Damansara. It's located on the 1st floor, and the restaurant has individual tables as well as a sushi bar. It's a typical Malaysian-ized Japanese restaurant, I could say.

I'm quite pleased with the variety of Japanese food, bento boxes, & set meals there - in my opinion, it's good enough to offer you a wide variety, yet not confuse you with too much on its menu.

We weren't exactly very hungry that night, so we ended up ordering just 2 sets to satisfy our craving for Japanese food. PerutBesi is pleased with the order :) Thumbs up for Ichiban Boshi (at least for the environment & the 2 dishes that we ordered. I can't guarantee it'll be the same for the other dishes since I have not tried them).

If you're a sushi fan, this platter is quite satisfying. It has sushi with various types of fish, seafood, seaweed rolls, & the usual egg/veggie. It's enough for 2-3 persons, depending on your appetite & the amount of food you order. The fish/sashimi is fresh & the rice is nicely flavoured & firmly packed. I dislike it when the rice falls apart. PerutBesi's happy :D

Ichiban Wazen (RM34.90/set)

Being huge fans of unagi & tempura we couldn't resist this set. It offers you tempura, salmon, & unagi, all in one! *yums*

>> Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Venue: Betty's Midwest Kitchen, Aman SuriaOverall comment: Interestingly good western food. The price is average (RM15 to >RM50), but I felt that the portion was relatively large. It's like Chili's serving, I guess. It's large for me, but just nice for guys ;)Halal: No

Betty's Midwest Kitchen has been one of the many popular places to dine at for at least the past 1 year or so. Much have been mentioned about that place, & still the PerutBesi didn't manage to step foot into the restaurant til mid this year. I've read the many compliments & comments, some positive, some not so positive, but my personal experience there was thankfully quite a pleasant one.

There's a crowd constantly flowing into the restaurant. As the restaurant's not very spacious, once the crowd spills in, you will certainly need to either make a reservation to get a table, or eat & vacate so that others will get a chance to have a meal there as well.

I was there on a Sunday with some friends, & I'm thankful for the lovely lunch treat :)

Freshly-Squeezed Lemonade (RM2.50/glass)You can't get anything fresher than their lemonade..."kao" man...! I found it a tad too sour for my liking, so I can't finish it...hahaha...but it was certainly refreshing & zesty. Wakes the sleepy up! :D

Grilled Baby Back Ribs (RM28.50/serving)Well marinated, tender, juicy...yums :) I prefer this to the pork belly somehow. The portion's quite generous & I won't be able to finish it by myself. Guys/"carnivores" would love this dish ;)

"Dog Food" Gravy Fries (RM7.50/serving)When I first heard the name, I went "euww...and *gulp*". I had no idea what it was when Hans said that it's something that I have to try. He ordered it & I confess that this dish is irresistible! It's somewhat 'soggy-fries', but the gravy & melted cheese on fries was one perfect marriage. I think I could whack a whole serving by myself as a meal! Oh, blogging about it now makes me crave for some Betty's Midwest Kitchen's "dog food"!! *drools*

Grilled Pork Belly (RM24.00/serving)The marination is alike the baby back ribs, if not the same. I prefer the texture of the meat on the ribs instead of on the belly. Somehow this pork belly's meat is slightly tougher than the ribs'. I've no idea why...

Roasted Pork Chops with Apples (RM20.00/serving)This was what I had...I actually didn't want something too 'heavy', so I thought something 'fruity' would help...I ended up not enjoying this meat dish as much as I hoped I would...I love the mash potatoes though...could eat LOADS of that...The mash was smooth, creamy, & the gravy made it extra delicious! As for the pork chops, erm...I find it too dry for my liking. Even the apple sauce didn't help much 'cos the sauce wasn't as fragrant & delectable as the grill baby back ribs' dip.

Beer Batter Fish & Chips (can't recall the price)Lyd said this wasn't too bad. The batter was quite crispy & light (just from hearing the crunch sound when she bites into the batter/fish), but in my opinion, fish & chips if done properly can't go wrong. It's worth eating if you don't feel like having any pork or chicken :)

Spaghetti with Bacon/something porky that I can't recall as wellAccording to Hans, this wasn't satisfactory. It's nothing to shout about & it's certainly not the best tomato-base spaghetti.

On the overall, I kinda like the food here. I certainly won't mind dropping by for their "dog food" and mash potatoes...hahaha...but I would love to try some other places for good porky-food, like Andes, down the road (according to The Nomad Gourmand). Oh, how often do I actually drive to this part of PJ?? *sigh* Cyberjaya, Seri Kembangan, Puchong...these places seem SO far from the heart of PJ itself :(

Disclaimer: Reviews written are based solely on my personal opinion. I am not affiliated with any companies/restaurants and will not be responsible for any disappointments that occur. No part of this site or any of the content contained herein may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without prior permission from the publisher.